Advice required, cannot change recording environment but with computer fans and background noise I have a noticeable noise in the signal signal flow to the mic If I put a Noise Gate on the MIC input would this be OK
and can I make it open and close at different speeds I have only heard of them never used one ? .
any VST3 suggestions

 

My room is noisy as well, but using one of these
https://seelectronics.com/product-cat/reflexion-filters/
with the mic pushed back quite far, combined with a heavy blanket hung in folds behind me cuts noise down by around 80%.

 

Have you tried Waves X-Noise?

 

What kind of sources are you recording?

 

Check this out your jaw will drop

 

I've been wondering when will Waves also come up with some AI brainfart finally. Here we go!

Denoising plugins always sound weird. I'd rather try repositioning the mic with it's back to the noisiest part of the room and as far from the noise source as possible, just like Mr. Max said. It will surely help a lot and it will make the job easier for the denoiser plugin if needed. Maybe try just a gate plugin first. Gate is less noticeable than a denoiser and it doesn't change the sound in any way.

If you're using Reaper, ReaGate will do that more than fine. If you don't use Reaper, you can download free ReaPlugs VST from Cockos' website which contain ReaGate, too. They are pretty nice plugins.

 

Guys above are more competent on subject than I am. But there is a thing I learned here. I thought that condenser mics are the only ones "good enough" for recording e.g. vocals. Then someone said that esp. in shitty/noisy/reflective recording environment one should go with dynamic mics.

I then tried the Shure SM 57/58/7B/.. have to say - problem solvers. (some with some help of cloudlifter or similar)

 

I do not think a gate will solve your whole issue, but I would add Fabfilter Pro-G to your list of plugins to check out. Maybe you already have it

 

The supercardioid Sennheiser 441 is amazing for vocals and to me sounds much like a cross between a ribbon and a condensor microphone. The downside is that is is very expensive for a dynamic.

 

Depends a bit on the gate but in principle, yes. SIR Audio Tools StandardGate even comes with the same parameters as a compressor (attack, release, ratio, knee, hold, lookahead, sidechain filter). Sometimes they have less, sometimes they're called differently (open, close, hysteresis).

Important point, don't record through a gate, if you mess this up, you messed it up (it's just not necessary ITB).

You could also get a noise print sample and use an off-line noise reduction like in free Audacity (which works surprisingly good) but that's maybe a(n additional) step too much for you.

OTOH, based on the vid, Waves Clarity sounds pretty convincing.

Don't forget, you can combine a bit NR with a gate.

 

UAD C-Vox is pretty good, too.

 

A noise gate can help but when the signal opens the gate the noise will still be there. Can't say about your "other BG noise", but your computer fans can be changed to quieter ones and regulated to ramp up to noisy speeds only when needed. This can reduce overall steady state noise to almost a whisper - given you have proper fan speed managements present in your system bios.

 

Find a closet and some long cables. Seriously. Asking "how can I record vocals in my noisy room" is like asking "how do I develop my film in a brightly lit room".

 

RobertoCavally I think got the direct solution, an SM57. Them directional dynamic mics don't pick up quiet things very easily.

As for software, record the room when quiet and subtract it from your recordings.

Stuff like https://www.izotope.com/en/products/rx.html sould help.

 

This is why I mentioned it won't entirely solve it. With a gate, only the material which is below the threshold is processed by being eliminated. (basically, the opposite of a compressor). A "silent room" noise print is also not the ideal solution because it can/will be removing frequency content of your other recorded material; depending on what method you use. These kinds of things are great to fix an accidental/mistake sort of thing that already has been recorded and you are stuck with it. It's a pretty bad way to approach a problem, because it will just generate more work when you record more stuff.